Black Widow
'"Black Widow" '''is the seventh Special of the 2016 Specials and the 187th episode overall. It was published on February 9, 2016. In the episode, in Katarina's past, her life is turned upside down when a mysterious woman is hired as her nanny. In the present, Gallifreyan learns the truth of the Xerxes Diary. The Episode ICICLE CREEK THE DAY KATARINA DIED AT THE END OF THE GHOST GENOCIDE Hidden in the shadows of the gingerbread houses, Katarina's heart was racing. The Cult of Gallifrey was just outside. Gallifrey. She knew why Gallifreyan chose that name. It's what bonded the two of them back in Tsereve. Doctor Who. Katarina always planned the destruction of the Gingerbread Empire, but she could never bring herself to kill Gallifreyan, the only person she was able to, at one time, call a friend. "They ruined everything," Katarina said, a tear streaking across her face. She wouldn't kill Gall, but all the others would perish. Katarina drew her gun. Then the sound of an engine. BLACK WIDOW FARM 20 YEARS AGO "Happy birthday, Katarina!" Anastasia Krakh said to her only daughter. Mikhail Krakh Sr. cheered as 14-year-old Katarina blew out the candles on her cake. "Thank you, mother. Father," Katarina said. She eagerly cut herself a slice of vanilla cake. "Here is our gift to you," Mikhail Sr. said, handing Katarina a beautifully wrapped gift. She opened it. "Oh...father..." Katarina exclaimed breathlessly as a flowery silk dress fell out of the wrapping. She held it up against her body. "I love it!" Her parents hugged her. "Mother, may I be excused?" Katarina's elder brother, Mikhail Jr., asked. Her younger brother, Petr, nodded eagerly. "It is your sister's birthday!" Anastasia snapped, "You will sit here until the end." Petr groaned. "It's okay, mother," Katarina said, "They can go. I won't keep them." Petr and Mik ran off before they could be reprimanded. "Um, Katarina, darling," Mikhail Sr. said cautiously, "There's something we need to tell you." Katarina listened. "Your mother and I have taken second jobs in the village...money is tight as you know...the farm is failing. Petr and Mik have agreed to take care of farming work while we are in town, but you will be in the house alone. So..." "So we thought we should hire someone to look after you," Anastasia said. "Mother," Katarina said, "I'm 14." "Yes," Mikhail Sr. said, "We know. But Petr and Mik found this wonderful woman in town who we think could teach you Russian and cultural needlework. Cooking!" "Oh," Katarina said. She shrugged. "Very well." Anastasia sighed happily. "You'll meet her tomorrow then. Her name is Kserks." Petr and Mik waited until they were out of earshot before conversing. "Nanny Kserks is coming over tomorrow," Petr said, "You've organized for Mom and Dad to leave early, yes?" "Of course," Mik said, rolling his eyes, "I've orchestrated this whole thing. Just let me impress Kserks. Let her choose me." Petr angrily frowned. "I should at least get the chance to let her pick ME." "No," Mik said, "That was the deal. You would help me become the Third Xerxes." "And what if," Petr said, "she chooses Katarina?" Mik laughed loudly. "That pretty dandelion? She would never choose such a whole child. Only I have the malice necessary to carry out the great work of Xerxes." Petr nodded regrettably. "This woman was not easy to find," Mik said, "We must play our cards right. The world will soon have a new Xerxes. And it will be me." Katarina answered the doorbell. She doubled back in shock. All of her friends from the school were there with balloons and gifts. "SURPRISE!" they cheered, "Happy birthday!" Katarina counted all nine of them. They rushed into the small kitchen. Katarina's parents beamed proudly. "Happy birthday, Kat," one of her friends, Alexey, said. He handed her a large square present. Katarina blushed and thanked him. He blushed back. "He's been talking about you all day," Katarina's best friend, Liza, said, "He wanted everything to be perfect. You should see how much he cares about you." "I do," Katarina said merrily. THE NEXT DAY Svetlana Kserks, the Second Xerxes, trotted up to the Krakh household. At sixty-seven years of age and rapidly deteriorating from cancer, it was time to pick a successor. There were no rules about who she could pick. Anyone could be the Xerxes. But Kserks had put in too much work for a simpleton to take everything away. Someone young was preferred. Mr. Krakh had said he had three children. The girl she would be teaching Russian to might be a good candidate. But she also had two brothers... One year, Nanny Kserks told herself, give everyone one year to prove themselves. Not that they would know what they were applying for. Just one year, the Nanny reassured herself as she knocked on the wooden door. ONE YEAR LATER Katarina sat in the field next to Nanny Kserks, reciting her Russian. "Nanny," Katarina said suddenly, stopping her lesson, "Can I go into town to see Alexey today?" Nanny Kserks maintained her gaze staring straight across the field. "Do you love the boy?" Katarina stammered. "Well...I mean...I'm only 15...but he's very nice..." "Love is terrible," Nanny Kserks said, "It blinds the judgement." "Oh," Katarina said, "I..." "You agree, Katarina," Nanny Kserks said. "Okay," Katarina said, but in her mind, she disagreed. "Katarina," the Nanny said, "There is something I want you to know. I am dying." Katarina leapt to her feet. "Do you need a doctor?!" "No doctor can save me," Kserks said, "But I have something for you. Something important. You should know who I am." Katarina looked past Kserks at the two mailmen walking up the driveway. As they got closer, Katarina could see one was a girl. "...Xerxes," Kserks finished, "And you will be the Third." "The what?" Katarina said. The Nanny removed a book from her bag and handed it to Katarina. "Xerxes Diary," Katarina read. "It is time for you to be initiated," Kserks said excitedly. Katarina just stared. What was happening? "Open the Diary," Kserks said, "to the first blank page." Katarina did as she was told. Kserks placed her hands in the center of the Diary and began muttering in Russian. Katarina heard her say the words "Joseph Stalin." "Say your name," Kserks whispered. "K-Katarina Krakh." Behind the Nanny, the two mailmen waved. "Hello!" Katarina called back. The Nanny whirled around, her glasses flying from her face. "We have your mail!" the man said. "NOT NOW!" the Nanny hissed. The mailwoman frowned. "We'll just leave it here then..." She bent down to put it on the doorstep. Nanny Kserks screamed. It was an angry, primal, battle cry. Katarina crawled backwards, away from Kserks. The Nanny jumped up and charged at the mailman and mailwoman. As she approached, she grabbed a flagstand by the field and turned it horizontally. Like a jousting lance. Katarina watched in sheer horror as the two were impaled. Kserks wrenched the flag stand out of the mailman as he fell. She tossed the bloody pole into the snow. Katarina could not move. She was frozen on the spot. Her Nanny had just killed two people. For no reason. Not one reason. No reason. No reason. She was shoving the two bodies into the icebox. She slammed the lid. Inside, Katarina could see yellow light. What... "KATARINA!" Kserks shouted, "INSIDE! NOW!" Katarina stayed rooted to the spot. She would not go with that murderess. But...Petr and Mik. They were inside! She had to protect them! Kserks stomped into the field, grabbed Katarina's shirt, and marched her into the house. Inside, Kserks repeated the Diary initiation thing. She smeared blood on the pages as she hastily began chanting in Russian again. "Say your name," she spat. "Katarina Krakh," a hoarse whisper answered. Katarina could barely hear herself. "I thus proclaim Katarina Krakh as the Third Xerxes. The Commander of Hell." Katarina felt her knees weakening. Why was this happening... "Why did you kill them..." Katarina muttered. Kserks scowled. "They interrupted the sacred Xerxes crowning." "I don't want to be...Xerxes..." Katarina said, "I just want to go into town!" "SHUT UP!" Kserks snapped, "You ARE Xerxes now! Read the Diary. It has your duties." Katarina stood silently. She would read the Diary. Sure, she would. But then she would write down everything that happened today. The horrors of it. And how she would stop at nothing to rid herself of the Xerxes title. Whatever the hell it was. Mikhail Jr. was irate. Seething with absolute hatred. The Nanny had crowned KATARINA as Xerxes? WHAT! Petr was pacing angrily in their shared bedroom. "How is the power of Xerxes transferred?" Petr asked. "By the current Xerxes," Mik said, "But only when they are about to die." Petr snapped his fingers. "Easy! We kill Katarina." "Not so easy," Mik said, "Not with Mom and Dad hovering over her." Petr grinned maliciously. "So..." Mik cackled. Katarina walked downstairs the next morning. She was up all night reading the blasted Diary. And she had reaffirmed her belief that she did not want to be Xerxes. But there was no way to get rid of the title unless she transferred it to someone else upon her imminent death. Why me? Katarina asked herself yet again, I'm only 15. I don't deserve this. She entered the kitchen. Carnage. Blood splattered everywhere. "Mom! DAD!" Katarina screamed. Mikhail and Petr were killing them. In front of her! Katarina closed her eyes in terror. This was a dream! A nightmare! A terrible terrible horrible nightmare! But it wasn't. Petr and Mik were laughing. ENJOYING it. Katarina fainted. Mets the Mailman climbed out of the icebox. The cold was preventing their regenerations. Jordan was still in the box, regenerating. "Wait there," Mets said, still weighed down with guilt from yesterday. He had used his own sister as a shield. Cowardly. Mets scanned the horizon. He could see the TARDISes among the trees. He started toward it. "YOU!" someone shouted. Mets turned. The Nanny who killed him was stalking across the field. "Who the hell are you? Get off this property! It's private." Mets glared at her. Anger overtook him. It was like nothing he had every experience before. He snatched a rock from the field and hit her over the head. She collapsed. Mets grabbed a stake and ran her through the heart. Carnage. Katarina came to. Her nightmare was still happening. Mom and Dad were dead on the kitchen floor. Petr and Mik were congratulating each other. Then Mik leaned down to her. "You will make me Xerxes," he said, "Right now." Mik raised his knife over his head, preparing to stab her. Katarina brought up her leg into his yahoos. Mik screamed in agony. He dropped his knife, which fell an inch from Katarina's face. Katarina scrambled up the stairs. She ran into her room, grabbed her backpack and the Xerxes Diary, and ran back down the stairs. She collided into her brothers and shoved them over. Outside, she only glanced at the bleeding body of the Second Xerxes before running toward the village. WOODS Katarina slammed into a woman. They both collapsed. "You okay?" the woman asked. She looked discombobulated. "I'm fine," Katarina said, "You?" The woman now stared at her concerned. "You seem scared. Is everything okay...?" Katarina looked down and saw she was covered in blood. She began to sob. "Hey!" the woman said, "Hey, hey. Let it out. Tell me what's wrong. My name is Jordan." Katarina told her everything. BLACK WIDOW FARM ONE YEAR LATER Katarina returned to the farm with Jordan and Mets one year later. The two TARDISes were disguised as trees in the field. She had spent the past year traveling with them across the stars. She wrote down how to use a TARDIS in the Xerxes Diary so that she could use one of them to escape Xerxes. Escape her brothers. But first she had to confront them. "Katarina!" Petr exclaimed, standing by the front door, "You...you came back." "I'm leaving again," Katarina said, "The police still don't believe me that you killed Mom and Dad. I know you did. I KNOW YOU DID." Petr bit his lips. "So?" "I know you wanted to be Xerxes. I know Mikhail did too. But you never will. I won't allow it." "We don't want to be Xerxes anymore," Petr said. Katarina blinked. "What?" "We no longer want the Xerxes title," Petr said. He approached her. "We just want you to use it." Katarina backed away. "Never." Petr glanced at the two Time Lords. "Or we want one of them. And their precious TARDISes." Katarina gasped. "How...how do you know about them?" Petr only smiled. Katarina backed away, reaching for Mets and Jordan's hands. As expected, Petr pulled a gun and ran at them. Katarina threw Jordan and Mets toward their respective TARDISes. They disappeared behind the doors. Leaving Katarina with Petr. "Well well," Petr said, "Just me and the Third Xerxes." Katarina did not say anything. THE VILLAGE ONE YEAR LATER 17-year-old Katarina kissed Alexey. "We can run away," he said, "Far away. Far from your brothers. Why have you stayed anyway?" "Because," Katarina said, "As long as I'm alive, they cannot inherit the Xerxes title." "But they can kill you," Alexey said, worried. "The Diary has taught me how to fend for myself," Katarina said coldly. "Where is the Diary?" "Hidden," Katarina said, "Very hidden. It will always be hidden." Alexey turned off his bedroom lights. "I love you, Kat." "I love you," Katarina responded. He kissed her again. THE NEXT MORNING Katarina woke up. She rolled over to kiss Alexey. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot. Katarina scrambled out of bed. He had been stabbed. Three times. He was still breathing. Petr and Mikhail were in the corner of the room, reading. Reading the Xerxes Diary. "Interesting stuff," Mikhail said, "Really." "I'm a particular fan of your reluctant entries," Petr said, "Like this one: 'I will never be Xerxes. Not as long as there is breath in my lips. And Alexey's.'" Katarina's heart sank. Everything hurt. First her parents. Then her lover. "What do you want from me?" "We want you to be the best Xerxes there has ever been," Petr said, "Little sis. And let us join you on your rampage of terror." "No," Katarina said, "No I won't." She ran over to Alexey and assessed his wounds. They seemed critical. "Let me save him!" Katarina said, "Please please please!" Petr referenced the Diary again. "Love is terrible," he read, "It blinds the judgement." "You can't..." Katarina whispered. Mikhail stood and stretched. He removed his dagger from his belt and approached. "NO!" Katarina tried to jump in front, but Petr stopped her. Mikhail killed Alexey. And Katarina's heart turned black. Instantly, the gears of Xerxes began turning in her head. How to kill her brothers. How to make them suffer for what they did. How to make her village suffer to not bringing them to justice. How to make the entire Empire suffer. The Third Xerxes was born. 11 GINGERBREAD LANE 17 YEARS LATER, THE END OF THE GHOST GENOCIDE What have I done? Katarina stared in horror at the empty district. She accomplished what she set out to do. Kill Petr and Mikhail. She let Mikhail become Michael Inatsikap, Ersatz, let him believe everything was to benefit him. No more. He was dead. But... Katarina looked around the empty streets. All those people. They were dead because of her. Katarina pulled the Xerxes Diary from her jacket. She flipped through her entries until she got to the first. When she was still Katarina Krakh. Not the Third Xerxes. It was like being pulled from a terrible trance. She regretted every death. Every murder. Every kill. The destruction of the Erut Nevda jungle. The Ghost Genocide. Harvey Dugood. Calvin Orrupt. David Normalife. Mets the Mailman. What have I done? The Xerxes must have a successor, Katarina told herself, If I die without one, the position is open for anyone to take. I cannot have that. Katarina entered the house once shared by Mikhail as Michael and his wife, Gallifreyan. Thinking about Gallifreyan ached. Gallifreyan was her one true friend. Katarina had betrayed Gallifreyan and broken her heart and destroyed her chances at happiness with Harvey Dugood. She turned her away. Katarina had ruined Gallifreyan's life. She cannot mourn me, Katarina told herself, she must think I died as evil as I was when I wrought havoc on this nation. Katarina approached the crib in the corner of the nursery in the house. Two babies were sleeping. Lewis and Clark Hudson, survivors of the Erut Nevda disaster. She wrote their names in the Diary and performed the initiation ceremony she hated so long ago. "Please," Katarina told the infants, "Whatever you do, refuse the Xerxes. Do not let there be a Fifth. The position dies with you." Katarina left the nursery, clutching the Diary. Gallifreyan cannot mourn me, Katarina told herself again, she must think I died evil. Evil. Katarina set off for Icicle Creek. For her death. She would gladly accept the end. ICICLE CREEK Hidden in the shadows of the gingerbread houses, Katarina's heart was racing. The Cult of Gallifrey was just outside. Gallifrey. She knew why Gallifreyan chose that name. It's what bonded the two of them back in Tsereve. Doctor Who. Katarina always planned the destruction of the Gingerbread Empire, but she could never bring herself to kill Gallifreyan, the only person she was able to, at one time, call a friend. "They ruined everything," Katarina said, a tear streaking across her face, thinking of her disgusting brothers. She wouldn't kill Gall, but all the others would perish. Katarina drew her gun. Then the sound of an engine. Katarina watched as a TARDIS materialized, disguised as a Christmas tree. Mets the Mailman disembarked. "Hello, Katarina," Mets said, "I think I'm actually speaking to you this time. Not the Third Xerxes." "You're right," Katarina said, sadness heavy in her voice, "I realize what I have done and I am ready to die." "You won't tell Gallifreyan?" Mets asked. "No," Katarina said, "She'll regret it. She never wanted to kill anyone. I'll be the only one. She can't regret that. She has to think I was terrible until the end." "Katarina Krakh," Mets said, using her last name in for what seemed like an eternity, "It was a pleasure to finally speak to you again." "Thank you," Katarina said, feeling herself cry, "Take this." She handed him the Diary. "Hide it. Do not let anyone read it. It has evidence of my initial kindness and sympathy, but it also holds the terrors of my subsequent actions. What I will always be remembered for. It also holds the power to crown another Xerxes. That cannot happen." Mets took the Diary. He was smiling. Katarina started laughing. "I should have known. How far in the future are you?" "Very," Mets said. "The Diary is found, isn't it?" "It is," Mets said. "Does Gallifreyan read it?" Katarina asked hopefully. Mets smiled. "She does." Katarina felt relief flood her. "Does she forgive me?" Mets frowned. "Afraid not." "Good," Katarina replied immediately, "I do not want anyone to. As long as she knows I was once her friend. Genuinely." Katarina put her gun back into her holster. No one else would die. She would put on an act to ensure Gallifreyan felt no regrets, but no more blood would be spilt. "She understands," Mets said, "Gallifreyan. She understands." Katarina smiled weakly. "Good luck, Katarina Krakh," Mets said. He stepped back into his TARDIS. "Goodbye," Katarina said. The TARDIS disappeared. Katarina tied her hair back. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the trap Gallifreyan had so cleverly laid. And she joined Alexey beyond. GALLIFREY ESTATE 68 YEARS LATER Heart racing, Gallifreyan closed the Diary. After years of searching, she now knew what Xerxes was. And who it was. But none of that was in the front of her mind. It was Katarina's innocence, warped by her two distorted brothers into the insanity of the Third Xerxes. Gallifreyan shuddered when she read about her first husband. How Michael killed his own parents. Gallifreyan held the Diary close to her chest and left her closet. And walked straight into Mets's TARDIS. "Oh!" she yelped. She was face to face with the Mailman. "You changed again," she said, taking in his new attire and face. "Yes," he said, "I've been making rounds." "How did you know I just finished reading this?" Gallifreyan asked. Mets didn't answer. "Do you forgive her?" he asked. "No," Gallifreyan said, "Of course not. How can I? It may not have been her fault she was given the Xerxes throne, but she did all those terrible things anyway!" "What will you do?" Mets asked, "Will you let her past be known?" Gallifreyan looked at the Diary. "No," she said, "I can't. This is the only evidence we have and if it gets out, the Xerxes title will also leak. And then the chaos will begin for those crazy enough to seek its power. Her good side can never be revealed without letting the Xerxes position be known." Mets outstretched his hand. "I'll hide it. Somewhere it can never ever be found." "You hid it at Black Widow Farm," Gallifreyan said, "You didn't do a very good job." "I did?" Mets asked, cocking his head. He snapped his fingers. "You know," he said, "I'm about to go visit Katarina after this. The day she died. I bet she'll ask me to hide that Diary. Okay, so hide it at Black Widow Farm. Where?" "Under the bed in Katarina's bedroom," Gallifreyan said. Mets nodded. "Anything you want me to tell Katarina?" Gallifreyan thought for a moment. "Tell her I understand." Mets smiled. "Will do." He took the Diary and showed Gallifreyan out of the TARDIS. "Goodbye, Galli. It's been a thrill." "Goodbye, Mets," Gallifreyan said, "And good luck." The TARDIS flew for Icicle Creek. SNOWY KNOLL The Mailman landed after his journey to Black Widow Farm. The Diary was hidden for Gallifreyan to find. And the Diary she had given him had been hidden somewhere far from VMK. There would never be a Sixth Xerxes. The Mailman took the red everrose from its vase on the console and walked out of the TARDIS. The field was empty. It had been 13000 years since this place was known as the Gingerbread Empire. A single stone was placed near the hill. A drying everrose was resting on top of the stone. On Gallifrey, everroses lasted 1000 years. Mets took the dead rose from the stone and put the fresh one on top. Katarina's name was printed plainly on the front. A picture of her in her youth smiled back at him. The only memorial in the world for Katarina Krakh. But Mets could never forget the beautiful 16-year-old who traveled with him to escape the horrid Xerxes throne. And then watching her change. "Rest well," he said. The picture of young Katarina smiled back at him. Production Promotion The trailer for this episode is to the right. The music used is called "Padmé's Destiny" from ''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Continuity and Story Arcs The episode opened during the final scene of "Finis," during Ghost Genocide. Every line is verbatim from the episode, except the last, which heralded the arrival of Mets the Mailman. Katarina's mother and father made their first appearances since "Katarina." Petr made his first since "Icicle Creek." Mikhail Jr.'s last appearance was in "The Fall of the Cult of Gallifrey." Nanny Kserks returned as well, last seen in "The Bane of the Cult of Gallifrey." Mikhail Jr. and Petr, known to be in on Katarina's treachery, were revealed to be the ones after the Xerxes power. However, Nanny Kserks chose Katarina. The scene in the field, first seen in "Katarina" and again in "The Bane of the Cult of Gallifrey," replayed here. It showed that Katarina was horrified when Nanny Kserks impaled the Mailman and his sister, Jordan the Mailwoman. In the original episode, "Katarina," it was told in such a way to imply that Katarina had killed her parents after killing the Nanny. In reality, it was Petr and Mikhail Jr. who killed the parents and Mets the Mailman who killed the Nanny. The revelation that it was Mets was told in "The Bane of the Cult of Gallifrey." Katarina spent a year traveling the stars with Mets and Jordan. This is how she learned how to use a TARDIS and how Grace knew about Time Lords. Unfortunately for Katarina, she was unable to save both Time Lords and herself, so she stayed behind with her malicious brothers. Katarina finally became hardened when her brothers killed her lover. The first scene played again near the end. For the third time, Katarina muttered the phrase "They ruined everything." Believed in the past two instances to be referencing the Cult of Gallifrey, the real hatred is directed toward Mikhail Jr. and Petr. In Katarina's final moments, Mets the Mailman visited her. He addressed her by her real name and informed her that Gallifreyan found the diary in the future, but did not forgive her. Katarina was relieved. The scene in which Katarina dies in "Finis" portrays a desperate and wild Katarina unwilling to die. However, it was revealed in this Special that all of that was an act to ensure that Gallifreyan did not live with the guilt of killing her. To finish the brief story arc of the Diary, Mets hides the Diary Katarina gave him at Black Widow Farm per Gallifreyan's instructions. He then takes the Diary from a future Gallifreyan and hides it far from VMK. It is unknown if it was every found again. Trivia *The episode title is derived from the name of Katarina's childhood home, where the episode is set: Black Widow Farm. *The idea that Katarina was born pure is not new; it was the original intention. However, her innocent adolescence and reluctant descent into Xerxes was only conceived after the conclusion of the 100th episode. Producers did not want to create a whole season about it, so the story was never told. *Because this episode features the greatest character perception change, producers opted for it to be last of the Specials. *Katarina's turn to the "dark side" after the death of her loved one was designed as a parallel to Regina Mills's story in Once Upon a Time. Category:Episodes Category:Specials Category:Finales Category:2016 Specials